In Venezuela, Divisions over Chvez Extend from Parliament to the Dinner Table

In Venezuela, Divisions over Chvez Extend from Parliament to the Dinner Table

Article excerpt

Mourning Hugo Chvez supporters lined streets outside the military
academy for a fourth straight day today, but few were grieving just
a few miles away.

In the leafy, upscale Altamira neighborhood, residents shopped,
sipped coffee at sidewalk cafes, and strolled in city parks.

If you want to talk to a Chvista, you wont find one here, says
Carlos Leon, a businessman. Interim President Nicolas Maduro, who
was sworn in last night, is not my president.

Meanwhile, miles to the west, the red wave of supporters, a
constant since Chvez died Tuesday, again waited in line for hours to
bid farewell to their beloved leader. Chants spontaneously erupted:
I am Chvez! and the fight continues!

The sharp contrast between the two scenes underscores an
important, if perhaps obvious, fact: Chvez left behind a deeply
divided country. His socialist policies earned supporters and
enemies. He both raised people out of poverty and chased
Venezuelans into self-imposed exile. In his 14 years in power, he
proved to be both divisive and wildly popular repeatedly winning
elections by wide margins.

The polarization in Venezuela was there before, but it only got
worse under Chvez, says Carlos Romero, a political analyst at
Central University of Venezuela in Caracas. Instead of striving for
a consensus, he reinforced a rigid political alignment.

Politically, Chvez's United Socialist Party of Venezuela appears
to still have the advantage. Maduro, a former bus driver who rose
through politics to become Chvezs handpicked successor, had a 46.4
to 34.3 advantage over rival Henrique Capriles in a February survey
by Caracas-based pollster Datanalisis.

According to the Constitution, the election to replace Chvez
should be held within 30 days of his death. Venezuelans were
awaiting today an announcement on the vote, including the date, from
the elections commission.

Let the acrimony begin

The campaign mudslinging has already begun. Mr. Capriles, in a
press conference held just hours after Chvezs state funeral ended
Friday, called Maduros swearing-in as interim president completely
spurious. No one elected Nicolas president. They did not say,
President Nicolas. The people did not vote for you, boy. …